Large computer server systems may comprise a significant amount of equipment arranged in several racks or cabinets. One or more processors mounted within one of the racks will then be coupled to various devices, including input/output ("I/O") devices, which may be mounted within separate racks. The cabling coupling all of these components may be quite complicated, including running the cables under a raised floor between the racks.
A problem with such an arrangement is evidence when an error occurs within one of the I/O drawers holding the I/O devices. When this happens, it is desired to quickly identify and replace which device needs to be replaced (e.g., a particular circuit board mounted on a particular I/O board in a drawer). Presently, identifying the I/O drawers which contain the field replaceable unit (FRU) to be replaced by the service person is a tedious manual method subject to human error. The only way to identify the I/O drawer is to trace the cables from the processor board through the sequence of I/O drawers and correlate the drawer positions to reference drawings in printed service manuals until the correct drawer is found. In large systems with a large number of I/O drawers and a multitude of I/O adapters, including the resultant cabling (which can be quite complicated as discussed above), this can be challenging.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for an apparatus that permits an easy identification of an FRU that needs to be replaced.